Planetwildlife

Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana

. # day 1 - kolkata. as you reach kolkata, you will be received by our representative at dum dum airport, who will help you get to your hotel. We advise you to get adequate rest today, as tomorrow we begin an exciting journey into the amazing wilderness of bhutan. meals: no mealaccommodation: peerless inn . # day 2 - kolkata to paro. today we take an early morning flight to paro. Paro is a town in an agricultural valley of the same name. It is situated at an altitude of about 2, 300 meters above sea level. It is in this region that one may spot capped langurs, rhesus monkeys, himalayan black bears, himalayan serows and several species of deer. paros most prominent landmark is the rinpung dzong (fortress of the heap of jewels), which was rebuilt after a fire in the early 20th century. The dzong has many shrines and prayer rooms, and houses a large community of buddhist monks. Its interior is richly decorated with beautiful paintings and woodcarvings. You might also see several splendid examples of traditional architecture and richly decorated buildings in and around paro. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: standard budget hotel please fill up your immigration and declaration forms while in the air to get through your visa formalities faster at paro airport. Do not lose your declaration form as you have to produce it at the time of departure. Your address in bhutan is co etho metho tours & treks ltd. . # day 3 - paro. on the third day, we drive to chelila pass (3, 800m) to enjoy a splendid morning view of the himalayas. Picnic lunch will be carried along. We will also be walking over the ridges on the southern face of the pass to spot the himalayan serow. The conifers and sub-alpine forests around chelila are an ideal habitat for this exotic mammal. We might also spot musk deer and mountain foxes. our exploration of the area ends at about 2.00 p.m, after which we drive back to paro (approx 1 hour drive). On the way back, we will stop to visit dzongdrakha temple. Capped langurs can be spotted on the nearby cliffs, where they forage for acorns and wild rose berries. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: standard budget hotel . # day 4 - paro to punakha. on day four, we leave paro and head to punakha, a drive of about 4 hours. Our route will take us over dochula pass (3, 050m), where we will get a spectacular view of bhutans towering snow-clad mountains. Lots of fluttering and colorful prayer flags adorn the pass. Look out for yaks grazing by the roadside. We will go on an enjoyable four hour walk through the areas villages and forests. We may be able to spot bears, muntjac deer, wild boars, rhesus monkeys, hill partridges and kalij pheasants. In the evening, we reach lapchaka, from where the vehicle will take us to our hotel at punakha. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinnerroute: paro - dochhula pass - punakhatravel time: approx 4 hours . # day 5 - punakha to jigme dorji national park. today we go on an early morning excursion to the banks of the pho-chhu river. Here we might spot the highly endangered white-bellied heron, the second largest heron in the world. We return to the hotel for breakfast, after which we will drive north of punakha dzong to reach jigme dorji wildlife sanctuary. jigme dorji is the largest national park in bhutan. It covers an area of about 4, 329 sq km and is home to the snow leopard, musk deer, himalayan black bear, red panda, sambar and barking deer. We will explore the park area and have lunch here as well. As the evening approaches, we head towards our camp at damji village, where we shall interact with the park warden. The remainder of the evening will be spent touring the village. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: damji camp route: punakha to jigme dorji parktravel time: approx 1 hour . # day 6 - jigme dorji national park to punakha. the warden will accompany us today as we set out to explore the deep jungles in search of the takin, bhutans national animal. If we are lucky, we may also spot a tiger and himalayan black bear. You will notice that the vegetation around here consists mainly of bamboo thickets and the terrain is uneven and steep. By late afternoon, we drive back to our hotel at punakha. the takins strange appearance has an interesting legend behind it. According to this legend, the takin was created by a divine madman (drukpa kinley), who put a cows head on a goats body. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: a standard budget hotel route: damji punakha . # day 7 - punakha to gangtey gompa. our destination for today is gangtey gompa, which we will reach after a 3 hour drive. The gangtey valley area lies at an altitude of 3, 300 meters. It is home to the black-necked crane, a rare species of endangered crane whose roosting habitat is being threatened by economic development in china. On the way to gangtey, keep a look out for capped langurs and the red panda, which roams around the forests above nobding. during our visit to the gangtey gompa valley, we will spend about an hour at rspn (royal society for protection of nature). In the late afternoon, we will go on a 2-hour nature walk around the valley, where we will keep an eye out for the areas cranes. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: a standard budget hotel . # day 8 - gangtey gompa to thimphu. on day eight, we travel to thimphu, the capital of bhutan (approx 5 hours drive). We aim to reach in time for lunch, after which we head north towards dodina. We will be hiking up for about an hour to reach the cheri temples. You might see mountain goats and gorals in the area. We will then drive to a viewpoint above thimphu (approx 45 mins drive). Our days activities also include exploring the culture of the region and visiting a takin enclosure. The takin, a himalayan goat-antelope, is the national animal of bhutan. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: a standard budget hotel route: gangtey gompa to thimphutravel time: approx 5 hours drive . # day 9 - paro to kolkata. today we head for paro airport (approx 1 hour drive) to board our flight back to kolkata. You will be welcomed by our representative upon arrival at kolkata airport, who will help you get to your hotel. meals: no mealsaccommodation: peerless inn . # day 10 - kolkata. this is the last day of your tour and you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home. meals: breakfast please note: accommodation providers are subject to change without notice. The accommodations listed in this dossier are our preferred suppliers, but sometimes due to availability issues, we are unable to make use of the properties listed in this dossier. If we cannot use an accommodation provider as listed we will substitute another property of similar standards.

# day 1 - bhopal to satpura national park. our tour to satpura national park begins today, we leave from our designated point in bhopal which is noor-us-sabah palace hotel and drive for about 3.5 hours. Satpura national park is located in hoshangabad district of pradesh, india. It gets its name from satpura hill ranges (mahadeo hills). The rugged yet scenic terrain of satpura national park consists of deep valleys, high mountains, rivulets and waterfalls. This 524 square kilometer park is home to animals such as the tiger, leopard, sloth bear and wolf. The parks northern end is bordered by the tawa dam, where one can spot birds such as black eagles and hornbills. after check-in at our lodge, you are free to spend the day relaxing or exploring your surroundings. We may go on a nature walk if there is time. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: forsyth lodgeincluded activity: nature walk (if time permits) . # day 2, 3 - satpura national park. we explore satpuras wilderness over the next two days. Both days begin with an early morning game drive at dawn. We maximize our chances of spotting animals by going on both morning and afternoon drives. There is a wide variety of animals that are found in the park including the tiger , leopard, sambar, chital, bhedki, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, bison (gaur), wild boar, wild dog, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, indian giant squirrel. We head to the lodge after our morning drive and relax until lunch. we set out to explore the park once more in the afternoon. This is an ideal time to spot birds and the landscapes of the park provide for a perfect photo opportunity. Some of the birds found in the park are malabar pied hornbills, crested serpent eagles, crested hawk eagles, paradise flycatchers, honey buzzards, pittas, thrushes, peafowl, and pheasants. we return back to the lodge at dusk when the park closes for the day. We end the day with a delicious dinner. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinneraccommodation: forsyth lodgeincluded activity: morning and afternoon game drives, elephant safari (subject to availability) . # day 4 - satpura national park to bhopal. after a leisurely breakfast, we head for noor-us-sabah hotel in bhopal (approx 3.5 hrs drive) where we end our tour. meals: breakfast.

# day 1 - bangalore to bandipur national park. At about 8 am we leave bangalore for the bandipur national park. On arrival at bandipur, we check in at our lodge and have a delicious lunch. Once done with lunch, we leave for a game drive and will be in the park till dusk. We return to the lodge once the dusk sets in and we end the day with an early dinner. Bandipur national park is one of the best-known wildlife protected areas in india and is also a project tiger reserve. The park is famous for its bengal tigers, asian elephants and for the abundance of sandalwood trees. It is also home to leopards, sloth bears, panthers, chevrotains, dholes (wild dogs), hyenas, gaur, sambar (deer), chital, wild boar, barking deer and mouse deer. meals: lunch & dinneraccommodation: the windflower route: bangalore-bandipurtravel time : approximately 5 hrs . # day 2 - bandipur national park. Our day at bandipur begins with an early morning game drive. Mornings in bandipur are quite mesmerizing and in the winters you can see the mist raising off the ground. The nilgiri mountains form an amazing backdrop. You are sure to spot many chitals and asian elephants and if you are lucky, you may even spot a tiger! we return to the lodge for breakfast. You are free to spend the rest of the day relaxing until it is time for the afternoon game drive. meals: breakfast, lunch & dinneraccommodation: the windflower . # day 3 - bandipur national park to nagarhole national park. After an early morning drive and breakfast at bandipur, we head for the nagarhole national park (approx 3 hours drive). On arrival, we check in to our lodge and have lunch. This will be followed by a drive into the parks wilderness. A part of the nilgiri biosphere reserve, nagarhole is among indias most well maintained national parks. Its rich and varied wildlife includes the tiger, leopard, indian bison, sloth bear, gaur, sambar deer, chital, common muntjac and almost 250 species of birds. The park also has a large population of elephants. meals: breakfast, lunch & dinneraccommodation: cicada kabini route: bandipur to nagarholetravel time: approx. 3 hours . # day 4 - nagarhole national park to mysore. After an early morning game safari and breakfast at nagarhole, we head for mysore (approx 2.5 hours drive). We stop for lunch before setting out to explore this lovely city. Mysore is the second largest city in the indian state of karnataka. It is best known as the home of two great 18th century kings- haidar ali and tipu sultan. The majestic mysore palace, the city church and a drive to chamundi hills are worth a visit. If you have a sweet tooth, do try the famous regional sweet- the mysore pak. meals: breakfast, lunch & dinnerroute: nagarhole to mysoreaccommodation: hotel royal orchidtravel time: approx 2.5 hours . # day 5 - mysore to bangalore. After breakfast, we set out for bangalore. We provide packed lunch which we can have en route. We make a brief stop at ranganthittu bird sanctuary, a birdwatchers paradise. (approx 1 hour drive). Ranganthittu bird sanctuary covers an area of 67 sq km and consists of six islets on the banks of the river kaveri. The birds found here include the painted stork, asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly necked stork, black headed ibis, white ibis, lesser whistling duck, indian shag, stork billed kingfisher, egret, cormorant, oriental darter and heron. Many small mammals can also be spotted on the islets, these include bonnet macaques, colonies of flying foxes, common palms, indian gray mongooses and monitor lizards. after about an hour of birdwatching, we drive on to bangalore (bengaluru), where our tour will end. meals: breakfast & lunchroute: mysore ranganthittu bangaloretravel time: approx 5 hours.